German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on May 18 that European politicians "must stand up to" far-right politicians "for sale", after a hidden-camera sting brought down nationalist Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache over allegations he was open to corruption.
While far-right parties rejected values like protecting minorities and basic human rights, Merkel told a press conference in the Croatian capital Zagreb, "politicians being for sale plays a role, and we must act decisively against all of that".
Speaking still more forcefully at the event, she argued that "patriotism and the European project are not opposites".
"Nationalism is the enemy of the European project, and we have to make that clear in the last days before the election," she added.